30 May 2024

Paratus Botswana launched its P70 million investment of 840km Botswana Kalahari Fibre (BKF) laid between the Mamuno at the Botswana-Namibia border and Lobatse.

This is the largest significant investment by Paratus Botswana to date and completes the last leg of the Paratus-built Trans Kalahari Fiber (TKF) route, which runs from Johannesburg, South Africa to Swakopmund in Namibia.

The Deputy Permanent Secretary  in the Ministry of Communications, Knowledge and Technology, Mr Cecil Masiga,  said at the launch in Gaborone on Wednesday that the event marked a milestone in Botswana's journey toward enhanced connectivity and technological advancement.

“In today's fast-paced world, reliable and high-speed Internet connectivity is not a luxury, but a necessity,” he said. “It is the backbone of modern economies, a vital tool for business, and an essential service for our communities.”

Mr Masiga said the successful connection to this state-of-the-art 144-terabit Google Equiano sub-sea cable, which Paratus Group laid in Swakopmund last year, underscored the ambition and foresight of this initiative.

The investment, characterised by advanced technology and robust infrastructure, ensures faster, more reliable connections, diversified network routes, and enhances redundancy, he said.

For Botswana, Mr Masiga said, the project represented more than just technological advancement, but a catalyst for economic growth, social inclusion and national development.

He added that such services as these were crucial for business operations and community connectivity, driving productivity and fostering a more inclusive economy.Mr Shawn Bruwer, the managing director of  Paratus Botswana,  said the completion of this fibre route was yet another integral intervention in their commitment to provide the highest quality network services and to the Paratus group's overall vision to transform Africa through exceptional digital infrastructure and customer service.

Mr Bruwer said the new route created the lowest latency primary transit path through Botswana and Namibia to Europe.

He said the new BKF would connect Botswana and neighbouring countries to various international sub-sea cables, and to the rest of the world.

“According to the economic impact assessment conducted by Africa Practice and Genesis Analytics, commissioned by Google, Equiano is forecast to more than double Internet speeds and increased Internet penetration by 7.5 per cent in the next three years alone, while acting as a catalyst for considerable growth, job creation and sustainability in Namibia and the whole region,” he said.

Mr Bruwer said the Botswana Kalahari Fiber Route was part of his company's ongoing investment in the network infrastructure to meet the country's growing demand for telecommunication services. Ends